Former President Donald Trump previously said that he was opposed to the notion of an individual under federal investigation running for president, per comments unearthed by CNN's KFile, alleging that such a candidate would "cripple the operations of our government and foment an "unprecedented constitutional crisis."
Trump, who was indicted twice on felony charges in recent months, made the remarks in 2016 while referencing his then Democratic-opponent, Hillary Clinton. At the time, Clinton was facing a federal probe for reportedly disseminating classified information from a personal email server while acting as secretary of state. "We could very well have a sitting president under felony indictment and ultimately a criminal trial," Trump said on Nov 5, 2016, during a campaign rally in Reno, Nev. "It would grind government to a halt."
Trump made similar remarks the following day at a separate rally in Concord, N.C. "If she were to win, it would create an unprecedented Constitutional crisis that would cripple the operations of our government," he said. "She is likely to be under investigation for many years, and also it will probably end up — in my opinion — in a criminal trial. I mean, you take a look. Who knows? But it certainly looks that way." Trump's comments find especially contradictory resonance given that his 37-count criminal indictment in June centered on his alleged mishandling of national security documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Fla. The ex-president, who is charged with 31 violations of the Espionage Act by illegally retaining classified documents after leaving the White House, pleaded not guilty to the charges during his formal arraignment. Trump-appointed Judge Aileen Cannon has slated a trial date for August.
